Design and Development of a Full-Body Exoskeleton for Coordinated Gait Rehabilitation Using Compliant Joints
摘要
The coordination between the upper and lower limbs during human walking is a result of complex dynamic interactions that enable efficient locomotion. This study presents the design and development of a lightweight, portable, full-body wearable robot with compliant joints, aimed at restoring and enhancing this coordination in individuals with motor impairments such as stroke or cerebral palsy. The proposed system incorporates a novel bio-inspired transmission mechanism that enables synchronized upper–lower limb motion through dynamic coupling. The robot’s mechanical behavior is modeled using a Piecewise Linear Strain (PLS) Cosserat rod formulation, allowing the continuum structure to be described within a transient dynamic framework. The analysis focuses on vibration transmission, wave propagation, and time-dependent energy exchange along the flexible structure during gait. The results demonstrate that replacing conventional rigid joints with compliant elements reduces actuator power requirements while enabling bidirectional energy transfer between limbs through wave-like dynamics. The system achieves coordinated locomotion using only two frame-mounted DC motors, significantly minimizing inertial effects on limb motion. A compact 3D-printed prototype was fabricated and experimentally evaluated, confirming the feasibility of the proposed design and its dynamic characteristics. The findings highlight the potential of compliant, vibration-aware robotic architectures for compact, energy-efficient, and effective gait rehabilitation exoskeletons.